In Reverse Aging Now, Dr. Dean Ornish talks about emotional heart disease, how anxiety, loneliness and despair can take a physcal toll on a body. We already know that people who confront depression often take it out on themselves through overeating, alcohol and drug use, however less attention is paid to the beneficial effects of simple friendship and the belief that your life served some bigger purpose than yourself.

Dr. Onish recounted a study in which a group of patients about to have major heart surgery were asked two questions:

• Did they draw strength and comfort from a lbelieve in a god, irrespective of what the belief was?
  
• Did they participate regularly in social activities where their presence would be missed?